My Favorite 75 Albums Of 2009 — Dec. 9
Posted By Ben W. on December 9, 2009
Today’s triple shot of 2009 Albums is a strange, anachronistic group.
We’ve got two artists making music that sounds lost in 1985. And a band who act, dress and sound like they never made it out of 1885.
51. Phrazes For The Young – Julian Casablancas
Oh my, what a perfect distillation of the decade in music this is. As the noughties opened, Mr. Casablancas was inspiring a generation of hipsters to start guitar bands again. Eight long years later, here he is trying to make synthesizer pop with terribly programmed drums (?!?!?!?!) — sounding more lost and more confused than the generation of kids who used to worship him. To be fair, the first three songs here are pretty good. The other five, though, are pointless.
I don’t know what the future of rock ‘n roll sounds like as 2010 dawns. But I do know we won’t be looking to this man anymore to show us.
50. It’s Not Me, It’s You – Lily Allen
Look I’m not gonna sit here and tell you this is a great record. It’s not. Greg Kurstin’s production often is overwrought, while Allen’s social commentaries are not, shall we say, Kinksian (“Life’s about film stars and less about mothers/It’s all about fast cars and passing each other”). This is a “favorites” list, though, not a “Best Of” list. So call it a guilty pleasure. And in my defense, Allen has impish charm and catchy songs in spades. While her mainstream contemporaries skew toward the bland, Lily Allen has enough personality to carry an album. And it’s an album I’ve listened to and enjoyed probably 56 times this year. So sue me! Get off my back about it already. Sheesh.
49. The Hazards Of Love — The Decemberists
This has to rank as one of the year’s most impressive releases. Colin Meloy agonized over every note and every sound to create a rock opera, full of recurring characters, melodies and lyrical themes. Kudos to him for that. What he forgot to add to the mix, though, was the sense of humor that balanced his pretensions so well on past Decemberist releases. One or two more killer songs might’ve helped too. “The Rake’s Song” tries to score on both fronts, but isn’t quite funny enough or good enough to carry the day.
Check back tomorrow for Day 10 of the Advent calendar countdown. We’ll be listing three albums every day from now through Christmas when we get to No. 1.
Click DAY ONE to view Nos. 75-73.
Click DAY TWO to view Nos. 72-70.
Click DAY THREE to view Nos. 69-67.
Click DAY FOUR to view Nos. 66-64.
Click DAY FIVE to view Nos. 63-61.
Click DAY SIX to view Nos. 60-58.
Click DAY SEVEN to view Nos. 57-55.
Click DAY EIGHT to view Nos. 54-52.
MY FAVORITE 75 ALBUMS OF 2009 (THE LIST SO FAR)
75. Man Of Aran (Soundtrack) – British Sea Power
74. March Of The Zapotec/Holland EP – Beirut
73. Changing Horses – Ben Kweller
72. It’s Frightening – White Rabbits
71. Living Thing – Peter Bjorn And John
70. Working On A Dream – Bruce Springsteen
69. 21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
68. Grrr… – Bishop Allen
67. Let The Dominoes Fall – Rancid
66. Kingdom Of Rust – Doves
65. Get Guilty – A.C. Newman
64. Hands – Little Boots
63. Further Complications — Jarvis Cocker
62. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future — The Bird And The Bee
61. The Love Language — The Love Language
60. The Crying Light — Antony And The Johnsons
59. Don’t Stop — Annie
58. My Way — Ian Brown
57. Post Electric Blues — Idlewild
56. Dragonslayer — Sunset Rubdown
55. Middle Cyclone — Neko Case
54. Tongue ‘N Cheek — Dizzee Rascal
53. Art Brut Vs. Satan — Art Brut
52. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand — Franz Ferdinand
51. Phrazes For The Young — Julian Casablancas
50. It’s Not Me, It’s You — Lily Allen
49. The Hazards Of Love — The Decemberists
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